Mobility Scooters onboard / based off comments on recent thread

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

I see recent cruisers mention hallways being blocked by passengers who are not in Handicapped cabins leaving their scooters outside their cabin in the hallway.

Isn't there strict regulations about this.

Is this a case where Princess is not stepping up and being consistant with regulations ad protocols,  providing for passenger safety.

Do some of you here on the board know what the Princess policies are about bringing mobility scooters onboard?

 

[pathi]

It happens. Scooter will not fit in a standard cabin door. Princess is unlikely to say anything about it.

[Thrak]

I've seen them plugged into the wall in the elevator areas. A folding scooter would be the way to go as it would fit through the cabin door. There have been times when I've seen vast parking lots of scooters outside the dining room. I have no idea where they put them all when they go back to their cabins.

[SargassoPirate]

If mobilty devices are parked/stored/charged in the paths of exit travel such as corridors, elevator lobbies, and stairway access areas, they are in violation of SOLAS fire safety standards and should be reported to the guest services desk.

 

There is not gray area on the requirements for clear paths of exit travel, just lax enforcement.

[Bobbiegentry]

Watch your toes!!

[MissP22]

I think Princess just gave up on trying to enforce that rule. 

[ozscotart]

They should be left in free wheel mode and you could then move them out of your way. Or get the steward to do it. You have to fill in a form to get Princess approval to take your mobility device on board, I would assume these devices can fit in a standard cabin. 

[cr8tiv1]

I can visualize bumper cars in the passage ways.  Someone leaves their scooter...another scooter comes along without someone to assist them.  How do they go about maneuvering around stalled/parked vacant scooter?

 

Maybe it's time for Princess to have more accessible cabins?  No wonder they are going after the younger crowd.

 

[SiliconCruiser]

On a cruise on the Ruby in July, I think I saw more scooters than I have ever seen before on any cruise.  Most of those scooters appeared to be rentals, though I didn't see any left the hallways though.  At the dining rooms, the entry way looked like a parking lot for scooters as the waiters just kept bringing them out.  If I did see one and it were blocking movement through a corridor, I would just disengage the drive motor and push to some location where it was no longer a hazard to others; don't need the key to do that, and all motorized mobility devices have levers to disengage the motor(s) as a safety feature.
The most common rental scooter appears to be the Pride Go-Go, which is less than 22" wide and will fit into a standard cabin.

[SargassoPirate]

20 hours ago, MissP22 said:

I think Princess just gave up on trying to enforce that rule. 

That'll work until someone is injured or worse because of lax enforcement of the SOLAS fire safety regs regarding clear paths of exit travel.  Plus, a scooter parked in the path of exit travel often prevents another scooter user to get by.

Edited August 12, 2022 by SargassoPirate

[Daniel A]

But if they're allowing scooters to be parked in the passageway, where would I put my breakfast dishes???  😲 

[MissP22]

39 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

But if they're allowing scooters to be parked in the passageway, where would I put my breakfast dishes???  😲 

On the seat of course. 😄

[Yehootu]

On 8/10/2022 at 2:40 PM, pathi said:

It happens. Scooter will not fit in a standard cabin door. Princess is unlikely to say anything about it.

If it doesn't fit through the door, then it's on the passenger. Rental scooters fit through the door. I know as my Mother used one with us on several cruises. It's not just about it taking up too much room in the cabin, that's your inconvenience. When it blocks the hallway it's everyones inconvenience. When my Mother couldn't get through, I moved the chair blocking the hallway to an open area. Not being mean, but being responsible to remove an article blocking safe passage of an hallway. No I don't pick up dishes, Mom just ran them over.

[SargassoPirate]

6 minutes ago, Yehootu said:

If it doesn't fit through the door, then it's on the passenger. Rental scooters fit through the door. I know as my Mother used one with us on several cruises. It's not just about it taking up too much room in the cabin, that's your inconvenience. When it blocks the hallway it's everyones inconvenience. When my Mother couldn't get through, I moved the chair blocking the hallway to an open area. Not being mean, but being responsible to remove an article blocking safe passage of an hallway. No I don't pick up dishes, Mom just ran them over.

If that "open" area compromised any part of the path of exit travel, it's still a hazard and in violation of SOLAS.  Elevator and stairway lobbies are crossovers from one side to the other.

 

Just sayin'

 

 

[Papa Yoda]

 

A Go-Go Pride will fit in the closet of any Princess cabin, it does take a bit of effort to shoe horn it in.  I take off the arm rests which makes it 20" wide and DW drives it in and out.

 

There are some spots in some elevator lobbies that are not in the exit path that have outlets where one could park a scooter to charge it and keep it out of the way.

 

Newer ships have narrower companionways and we often need to have stewards move their carts to navigate, older Grand class have no such issues.

 

We love aft balconies and without the scooter DW would have issues.

 

 

[SargassoPirate]

9 hours ago, Papa Yoda said:

 

 

There are some spots in some elevator lobbies that are not in the exit path that have outlets where one could park a scooter to charge it and keep it out of the way.

 

 

 

 

Not to belabor the point too much, but those elevator and stairway lobbies are usually part of the path of exit travel as they serve as access to the stairway and/or as a crossover to get to the other side of the ship in case of emergency.  Those outlets are not charging stations and there is no exception for even a single scooter.

 

This is a quote from the Princess website FAQ's---

Guests utilizing mobility devices with batteries are advised that the batteries must be a dry cell type, and must be stored and recharged in the stateroom. Mobility devices of any kind, like any other items, may not be left outside the stateroom.